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http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/news/20-04-06_1?template=template/printable.xml And the BMW diesels are more fuel efficient, they just have a smaller fuel tank...

http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/news/01-11-07_1/ Fisker Coachbuild, is making a four-door plug-in hybrid premium sports car. They have operations in and venture funding from the Valley. Unlike other startups, these guys have been in the car business for a long time.

Not unless it's a spankin' new 42V DC automotive system...

http://www.designnews.com/article/CA187806.html

Or a custom job...

http://nyserda.org/programs/transportation/TransPr oj_6641.asp ...but personally I think switching electrical loads to thermoelectric waste-heat recovery systems is a better option overall:

http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/news/industry_news/0 7-09-05_7

Fun fact: At $3 per gallon gasoline, with current ICE and alternator efficiencies, electricity onboard a moving car costs 55 cents per kWh.

While General Motors is busy destroying its last EV1-s and getting people arrested over it, the French have debuted a new electric vehicle concept at Geneva Motor show.
Here is the press kit and images of the BlueCar, designed by Philippe Guedon and sponsored by Vincent Bolloré.
In other EV news, Commuter Cars Tango is reportedly close to producing its first vehicles, one of the first ones sold to George Clooney

Surely they have enough of a hard time selling more euro-centric compacts like the Ford Focus in the US? A tinier car would surely be a hard sell. Long distances, rather than short city hops being what seems to influence American buying power.

As for safety, I'd be as happy in one of these than anything short of a big Volvo. They drove one into a concerete block at 75mph (by remote control) on UK tv programme 'Fifth Gear' a few weeks ago, and it came out of it pretty well.

Incidentally, there's some think-tank today bemoaning the penchant for consumers to buy ridiculously huge cars, on health and environmental reasons. They argue that proportionately more damage to the environment through gas-guzzling, and health (deaths through running people over, etc) is caused by larger cars than smaller cars. Film at 11.

Metroworks is refining some unleaded just for you.

Unfortunately they are. Reports on CNN, TV5 and BBC this week point to companies moving from Germany (the strongest economy in Europe) to the States because they cannot compete with the prices of raw materials being caused by the weak Euro. Unfortunately it was on TV, and thus I cannot provide a link, so I cannot provide the evidence to back this up despite a quick search on Google.

most Japanese car manufacturer were building or moving their plants from UK to countries part of the Euro...

Most? Evidence please? I think perhaps you are confusing Ford moving manufacturing of the Fiesta to Cologne from Dagenham, and from this page, this quote sums that up:

Bill Morris, the Transport and General Workers' leader, is almost certainly right to maintain that it is much easier and cheaper to sack workers in Britain than in Germany and that this is a major factor behind Ford's apparent decision to shift output to Cologne.

What would you prefer : pay someone 50000 USD/year or 50000 Euros/year ?

It doesn't work like that. If the cost of living in Europe is higher, which it is, it means you pay them accordingly. You don't just set an arbritary figure and then add a $ or on the end of it. If a barrel cost $30 and the Euro slumps, it means that whereas it used to cost 30 it now costs 35. So the fact that the oil has risen as well is only part of the reason for the current blockades.

kissing the US ass

I hope this isn't just jealousy because the UK overtook France as the second biggest economy in Europe this year having not joined the Eurozone and although Echelon was not just the UK and America as you seem to imply, France wasn't included...? You should be grateful as you got your own Echelon system whereas we had to share with Australia, New Zealand... :-(

If the UK wants to remain an island isolated from the world

remain (r-mn)
v. intr. remained, remaining, remains.
To continue in the same state or condition: These matters remain in doubt.

For us to 'remain' it is dependant on us already being isolated, and we aren't really as we are kissing up to the US ass and moaning all the time about the EU, as well as being the head of the Commonwealth? When Norway voted against becoming part of the EU, did you notice how isolated they became('remained'), and the country's GDP rose in the following year?

I am with you on the last point: I wish we never had joined, as do most (69% at the last poll) of the people in the UK. We moan for good reason. For an example of this and on how certain people want Europe to work try checking here. He implies that he only thought the German people had a right to decide on whether more countries should joing the EU..

PS Maybe we should be working together on this, as we both seem to want the same thing: the UK out of Europe! :-)